Narcissus poeticus L. subsp. poeticus / Poet’s Daffodil

I tried growing daffodils when I was 14 years old, tazetta hybrids, I believe. I planted them along a walk way with some Darwin hybrid tulips. The following spring came and the tulips emerged and put on a magnificent display of colours that was envied by neighbours and passer bys. However, there were no signs of the daffodils I planted. I searched among the tulips for the daffodils and found some grass-like foliage. I checked the package the bulbs came in and it confirmed the foliage did belong to the daffodils. Weeks passed and the tulips finished flowering and eventually entered their summer dormancy. The little stubble that was the foliage of the daffodils was still present and hardly grew at all. A few more weeks passed and the daffodils’ foliage eventually wilted. Being a curious, young lad at the time, I dug up the bulbs and discovered that they have rotten. I’m not sure what killed them. It could’ve been the poor drainage or the fact that the mild weather associated with spring time is nearly none existant here in Winnipeg. As one of my professors have said countless times, “it goes from winter to summer here in the Prairies”. Regardless of the reason, I felt very discouraged and didn’t attempt growing any daffodils for a long time. Until now.

I’m not sure how I learned of Narcissus poeticus. It may have been random Googling or perhaps I saw it in one of the catalogues that came through the mail. I wanted to try growing daffodils again since it is my birth flower. I scoured Google for which growing conditions are the best for this plant and not a single website mentioned anything about this specie being able to withstand 20-25+°C spring temperatures. However, I did learn that this specie has naturalized in some, if not most, parts of North America, suggesting that it’s quite adaptable. I purchased 10 bulbs in fall 2011 and planted them in a specially prepared bed with excellent drainage and adequate nutrients. Spring 2012 came and the leaves fully emerged, but no flowers were produced for three to four weeks. I began to feel anxious at the thought of another possible failure. Fortunately, my anxiety was put to rest near the end of May when a few of the plants produced flowers! The flowers have pure white tepals and a yellow corona tinged with red, the typical daffodil look and the kind of daffodil I’ve always wanted. Hopefully, these will return next year as I love daffodils and what they represent:

“Narcissus is the birth flower for people who are born in December. The Narcissus symbolizes success, good wishes, egotism, celebration and wealth. If your birth flower is Narcissus: You have a very high level of self-confidence. You have strong willpower which helps you in difficult situations. You are more of a family person. You are logical and systematic.”